


learning to be better

by Alltheroads



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, M/M, Peter gains a brother figure, gaining and losing innocence, slight veddie, this is more of a brothers fic, venom gains a fan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2019-10-13 09:09:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17485304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alltheroads/pseuds/Alltheroads
Summary: Just as Eddie is starting to get a hang of his new life, a kid shows up on his doorstep asking to be his intern. Then, an actual superhero shows up in San Francisco who's got more than a few problems with how Venom has been handling the bad guys. To top it all off, there's a new asshole in town who has a talent for convincing people to do dangerous, hateful things.Oh, and Venom may or may not be flirting with him. So there's that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First of all: I'm doing this for fun. So I'm probably not going to do a lot of research on San Francisco. Sorry, I have a really busy, full time job. Second, Peter Parker is based on the Peter from the Homecoming movie, but he exists in the Venom verse. So... no Tony Stark and no crazy advanced suit besides the one Peter's built himself. Finally, I'm only writing about the Eddie that I've seen in this film. I haven't read any comics with Venom in it lol.
> 
> That being said, I'm open to constructive criticism. In fact, I'm desperate for validation, so go wild. Have fun? 
> 
> also i currently have no beta reader so if someone wants the job you're already hired!

Eddie Brock still hates heights. Like, really, really hates them. But from up here, on top of an apartment building on top of a hill, he can see a good chunk of the neighborhood. He likes to keep an eye on things. With the help of his…  _ companion _ , he can see far better than he used to. Hear better, as well. Still doesn’t help with the heights though.

**ARE YOU EVER GOING TO STOP COMPLAINING?**

“Oh god,” Eddie runs a hand down his face. “That wasn’t complaining. I was just thinking about-” 

**THINKING ABOUT COMPLAINING.**

Sometimes Eddie wonders how the hell he even got to this point. What he would tell himself if he knew what was going to happen in just the last few months. “I’m very grateful for all the shit we’ve accomplished,” He says through gritted teeth. “I just feel a bit uncomfortable at the moment,” 

**WE’RE HUNGRY, EDDIE. AND SO FAR, WE’VE ADHERED TO YOUR BAD GUYS ONLY RULE.**

It’s an empty threat, and he knows it. The symbiote inside him, their fusion, has become this delicate balance. Eddie’s got to make Venom happy, and in return Venom does their best to do the same. He thinks.

In the past few weeks, they’ve worked out a bit of a system. Eat the scumbags. And if there are more than one in a single place, follow them. Always good to clean up the city. Plus, there’s the added incentive of seeing crime up close and personal. He’s been reporting on the bits where he’s found real evidence. Y’know, stuff that doesn’t incriminate him? 

If he’s perfectly honest, he’s still terrified of being caught. Being outted cannibal wouldn’t exactly be good PR. 

**WE’RE NOT GOING TO GET CAUGHT. WE’VE BEEN ANNOYINGLY CAREFUL.**

“Excuse me for wanting to keep us out of jail,” He murmurs. Eddie squints, trying to see if what he thinks is going to be a mugging. “Jail won’t accommodate our very specific dietary needs,” 

**PRISONS ARE FULL OF BAD GUYS. WOULD BE GREAT FOR AN ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET.**

Ugh. No thank you. He’s really got to remind Venom that the current justice system doesn’t guarantee that everyone behind bars is actually a bad guy. Educating the alien has put some things in perspective though. Eddie has known that their world is fucked up, but talking about everything that goes on around here? Doesn’t exactly help him forget about it. Maybe that’s a good thing. 

**DO YOU EVER STOP THINKING ABOUT SHIT LIKE THIS**

Eddie scoffs, but decides not to answer. Listen, it’s not his fault he’s been super aware of his own actions as of late. He’s always wanted to make a change. Now that he has means outside of his writing, it feels good to have some influence. 

**DO YOU SEE THAT, EDDIE?**

Even without Venom pointing out what he means, he knows exactly where to look. He can see some dude stalking a poor woman. It’s in the way that they’re walking. It’s in the way that they’re headed towards a near deserted street. It’s in the way that the air around them feels electric. 

“Yeah,” 

Beneath his skin, he can feel Venom grin. 

**TIME TO INVESTIGATE.**

Even bonded the way that they are, it’s nothing compared to when we becomes  _ we  _ and they become Venom together. 

They smile together and watch for a moment longer. There’s something thrilling about the moments before the hunt. Being here, being them has taught them how to really savor the moment. 

Though, if they are honest with themselves, they can never wait too long. The temptation is too great. They have also been learning to love the kill. Another deadbeat asshole off the street. They’re making this world a better place while they satiate their hunger. Two birds with one stone. Who knew it could be like this? 

The man starts to pick up the pace. Though the woman has yet to turn around, she knows well that she’s being followed. Her instincts are admirable, but fear has made her reckless. 

Venom stalks closer and smiles wider  when they see that the two young people have turned down an alley. Humans aren’t that creative, are they? Something about the dark. Safe for one, danger for another. 

For them, the dark is their hunting ground. 

The need to pounce is there, but that ever annoying need to make sure that they are doing the right thing persists even more. Just wait for the right moment. 

Almost all too predictably, the man pulls a gun on the young woman. She’s shaking, crying. Venom can practically taste it all. Some argue that fear distorts the flavor of the meat. However, Venom enjoys it. They want their prey to know that karma has truly come to bite them in the ass. So to speak. 

Venom jumps down, landing with ease in between the two humans. They both scream, but the woman retreats faster than she had before. Good for her. Now hopefully she’s smart enough to keep her mouth shut. 

The mugger also tries to escape, but Venom only has to shoot a tentacle from their arm forward to catch him. The prey in this city really make it too easy. At some point, they’re hoping to take on bigger fish. It’s such a shame they never got to taste the likes of Carlton Drake, the smarmy bastard. 

“ **YOU’VE DONE THIS BEFORE,** ” Venom notes. 

“I didn’t… I didn’t do anything!” 

Mid thirties. Maybe a bit down on his luck. But with the way he’s holding a gun and the confidence in which he carried himself (previously), Venom knows what to look for. When to pass judgment. 

“ **YOU WEREN’T FAST ENOUGH THIS TIME,** ” Venom opens their mouth wide and takes the guys head off with a practiced motion. Delicious. The body falls to the ground with a soft thump. How pitiful. But in the interest of not being wasteful (as well as hiding the pretty fucking obvious evidence), there’s always room for more. 

* * *

 

Eddie sleeps like the dead. He’s pretty happy that he can just tune out the rest of the world for just a few hours. Forget that he exists. Nothing is too stressful when he’s out. 

When he and Venom first became  _ them  _ he was worried that that would all change. That he’d have to explain that sleeping is a him thing and not a we thing. He’s not entirely sure what Venom does while he’s doing his thing, but he’s grateful to be left alone nevertheless. 

So when he’s abruptly woken up at noon, he isn’t too pleased about it. There’s someone knocking at his door. Enthusiastically, if that’s possible. 

**WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? WE DON’T HAVE FRIENDS.**

“Fuck you, yes we do,” Eddie argues. “There’s… there’s Anne. And, uh… Dan,” 

**YOU MEAN YOUR EX AND YOUR EX’S BOYFRIEND?**

Eddie can tell that Venom is snickering. Which, wow, he doesn’t need that this early in the morning. Though, with a quick glance at the clock, it’s far past morning. Jesus. Maybe it’s a good thing he doesn't have any friends. No one needs to know that he’s been sleeping this late. 

Even with the knowledge that no human should still be in bed, he grumbles as he gets up. “Alright, I’m coming,” He says. 

Eddie pulls on a soft gray shirt and the pair of jeans that he was wearing the night before. Then he shuffles towards the front door. There wasn’t any knocking, but he can just  _ feel  _ that there’s someone on the other side. Something about it has his heart pumping. 

“Threat?” He asks quietly. 

**NOT SURE. DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID.**

“Gee, thanks,” He replies. Then he opens the door. 

“Mr. Brock?” Asks a hopeful voice. 

Eddie blinks. He sure wasn’t expecting a  _ kid.  _ Maybe in middle school? High school? Is it bad that he kind of can’t tell? He comes up to Eddie’s chin. He’s dressed nicely, if a bit on the nerdy side.  Either way, there’s no reason for a kid to be here on… wait is it a school day?

**IT’S A SUNDAY. I THINK YOU’RE GOOD.**

“Yeah?” He pauses. “Can I help you?” Shit, that sounded kind of rude. He leans against the door frame and crosses his arms. 

“Yes!” The kid points a finger than rocks back on his heels. “I was hoping to apply for an internship?” 

**OH MY GOD.**

Eddie opens his mouth and waits for the proper response to fall out. It doesn’t. Another moment passes. 

“‘Cause I was looking on your website, but there wasn’t an application? And when I tried to send an email I just got an automated response saying that it wasn’t in use anymore, but…” The kid starts looking just a little uncomfortable. Eddie wishes he knew how to make him feel better but he’s mostly reeling over the fact that an actual literal child reads his blog. 

He’s not sure whether to feel proud or horrified. 

Eddie’s also feeling kind of embarrassed that he hasn’t checked his email in months. He used to have someone doing that for him. 

**YOU GOT REALLY COMFORTABLE AT THAT CUSHY JOB OF YOURS, HUH, EDDIE?**

Venom must really be enjoying that Eddie can’t talk at the moment. Asshole. 

“You’re not… saying anything,” The kid continues. “Should I go?” He shuffles on his feet and makes a small step backwards. 

“Uh, shit, no,” Eddie tries to think of what’s the right thing to do here. He’s never really considered taking on an intern before. Wouldn’t know the first thing about how to do… all of that. Not to mention he’s not sure it would look good on this kid’s resume. Seriously, what would that entail? “It’s kind of a mess, but why don’t you. Come in?” He gestures towards his apartment. 

When the kid smiles wide, Eddie still isn’t entirely sure what to do. He doesn’t want to break his heart if there’s something he can do. The least he can do is give this guy a bit of advice. Especially since he managed to find him here. God knows he’s done his best to stay hidden in the past two or three months. 

**YOU CAN’T SERIOUSLY THINK THAT YOU CAN JUST HIRE THIS KID.**

_ Can you shut the fuck up for a minute?  _ He’s never sure if Venom can hear specific thoughts. Doesn’t even know what his thoughts would look like. Mostly, he’s just hoping to have a second to think. 

“My name’s Peter by the way. Peter Parker,” He hands Eddie a folder. “That’s some stuff I’ve been working on. Uhm, photography stuff. I don’t have the best camera, but…” He smiles crookedly. “Anyway, I’ve been reading everything you’ve ever written. It’s so cool how you just… take on the bad guys! And help people, and…” The kid, Peter, looks a bit like he’s ready to take on the world. At least, he looks like he thinks he could take on the world. 

Eddie can’t help but smile. 

With that, he opens the folder and takes a look at some of the pictures. He hasn’t really focused on photography for a while, but even his unpracticed eye can see that Peter actually has quite a lot of talent. 

“Do you want something to drink? I got… water? And some soda I think,” Probably shouldn’t offer him coffee. It’s not good to offer kids coffee, right? He heads towards the fridge. 

“Uh, yeah. Some water would be cool,” 

**I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO IS EXCITED TO MEET YOU. I GUESS HE DIDN’T DO THAT MUCH READING ON YOU AFTER ALL.**

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Keep this up and you won’t get any chocolate,” He mutters as quietly as possible. 

After grabbing a glass and handing it off to Peter, he gestures to the cluttered table that’s been pushed up against a wall. This… probably wasn’t what the kid was hoping for when he came here. Eddie thinks back on the success of his show. How big it was getting. Is that who Peter was hoping to meet? A celebrity reporter? Hell, maybe he’d be showing up on Anderson Cooper’s doorstep if there wasn’t so much security. 

But no. Peter specifically said that he’s read his work. Something like pride worms it’s way into him. He does his best not to puff out his chest. 

“So, what were you hoping to do? A-as an intern,” He rubs at his beard a little bit, still trying to decide what to do.

“Well,” Peter looks down into the glass of water. “I want to help people. And I want to do it in the right way. Exposing the facts. And if you’ve got time, show me a few things about how to improve my writing? I keep switching tenses by accident… Also some different photography techniques?” He trails off and bites his lip. “Truth is, anything that you have to teach me would be really useful,” Then he looks back up at Eddie and he’s got this hopeful gleam in his eyes. It’s killing him. 

**EDDIE…**

Eddie starts nodding his head. 

“Yeah. Yeah, okay,” He’s still got no plans. No experience with this sort of thing. Even less experience with kids. But part of making the world a better place is making sure that future generations have the tools to make it better. He’s willing to give it a shot. “I’ll show you the ropes.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> slight warning for violence against an lgbt coded man. just so y'all know.

The first order of business was getting his apartment cleaned. Peter had already seen too much, and all he saw was the dining room/living room. Yikes. Thank god he didn’t look in the kitchen. He’s also pretty sure that part of this whole internship thing means that he’s got to be a role model. Eddie doesn’t think he’s ever had to do anything like that. 

**YEAH, NO SHIT.**

He sighs. It’d be nice to have a little bit of support, but Venom hasn’t been too keen about having Peter around the place. 

**I DON’T KNOW IF YOU FORGOT, BUT WITH THAT KID AROUND WE CAN’T BE US AS MUCH AS WE WANT.**

“Internships only last a few weeks, right?” A few weeks is all he can afford, anyway. He wants to be able to pay Peter whatever he can. But being a freelancer doesn’t exactly pay as well as his last gig. That also means that he and V will need to cut back on the more expensive cuts of meat. 

**I KEEP TELLING YOU, WE SHOULD TAKE THE MONEY FROM THE PEOPLE WE EAT.**

“Yeah, but then it feels like we’re eating people to get to their money, and I don’t really feel all that good about that,” He points out. If he does happen upon cash, he feels better giving it to people who really need it. 

**US, EDDIE. WE’RE THE ONES WHO NEED IT.**

“Other people need it more,” He finishes washing the dishes. It’s simultaneously a good feeling and a shameful one. He’s pretty sure his sink hasn’t been empty for a good week. “And we’re the good guys, remember?” 

**WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO TELL YOURSELF.**

“Look, what if I get you a toblerone? Will that cheer you up?” He leans against the fridge. This thing with Peter is just starting, and he doesn’t want Venom to feel like they’re not important or that Eddie’s priorities have shifted so much that he’s forgotten what makes them comfortable. 

There’s a pause, then,

**WE’LL THINK ABOUT IT.**

Eddie smiles. That’s what he likes to hear. Kind of. He still has to get ready for Peter to show up. After doing some research on what an intern typically does, Eddie has decided that he’s going to wing it. The way this country treats interns isn’t exactly great, anyway. 

There’s also some truths that he wants to share with Peter rather than him finding out later and ending up, oh, let’s say making impulsive decisions and ending up broke. Wouldn’t want something like that to happen. 

Almost exactly on time, there’s a knock on the door. Eddie checks his watch. Yeah, this kid is already a lot better at this job than Eddie is. Well, at least the part where he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing. Maybe teaching him how to break the rules would be beneficial… 

“Look, we’ll be okay. I think this could be good for us. You said yourself that we don’t have any friends,” He points out. 

**I DIDN’T MEAN TO BEFRIEND THE FIRST 15 YEAR OLD THAT YOU MET.**

Eddie doesn’t like that Venom definitely makes a good point. He’s not sure what it says about his character that he described Peter as a friend. All he did was apply for a position. One that didn’t even exist. 

Maybe he does need to get out more. 

That’s a thought (and probably an argument) for later. Peter’s waiting and they’ve got a lot to do on their first day. At least, Eddie hopes that he’s got enough planned. He thinks 2 to 3 hours of work is more than enough to get started on how to plan for an article. 

“Hey, Mr. Brock!” Peter says with a wave. 

**HE’S STILL DRESSED LIKE A NERD.**

Eddie puts his hands behind his back, then pinches at the skin. Hurts him a bit, but annoys Venom as well. It’s a double edged sword he’s willing to swing. 

“Hey, Peter,” Eddie greets. “C’mon in,” He stands aside and feels a lot less embarrassed than he did yesterday. Unfortunately, he’s just remembered that he needs to dust as well. Hopefully Peter doesn’t have any allergies. “Did you eat?” 

“Yessir,” Peter replies as he stands in the middle of the room. The kid looks a bit uncomfortable still being here. His enthusiasm is overshadowing that, however. 

First things first. 

“Just Eddie is fine,” He points out. Like most 30 something year old dudes, he’s not comfortable being referred to as Mr. anything. He feels old enough as is. Yeah, definitely shouldn’t have referred to Peter as a friend earlier. That was weird. “You can uh, take a seat,” 

“Oh, right,” Peter heads over to the table that Eddie painstakingly cleaned off yesterday. There’s enough room now for both of them to get some real work done. “So, what are we going to do today?” He leans forward in his seat as Eddie sits across from him. 

“Well. Thought we’d go over a few things. Go over the process of writing an in-depth investigative piece,” Eddie smiles. “Figured that that could be your project for this internship. You write your own piece,” 

Peter’s eyes are wide and disbelieving. “Do you think I’m ready for that?” Then, he quickly backtracks. “Well, I mean. I’ve done some writing here and there, but not a lot. And I’d love to go out into the field. Do some research. Ask the hard hitting questions,” 

“There’s no better time to start,” Eddie replies. “Did you have any ideas?” 

Peter squirms in the chair. God, he looks small. “Uh, not really. I mean, kind of,” He looks up at Eddie, as if expecting he’s going to shoot down whatever idea comes out of his mouth next. “I was interested in San Francisco in particular because of the weird trend in crime recently?” 

Eddie raises a brow. There’s definitely been a dip in crime recently. He  _ definitely  _ doesn’t want to brag, but he’s pretty sure they have something to do with it. Still, he and Venom are a bit too new and more than careful when it comes to where and when they hunt. Could be a coincidence. But even if it isn’t, there won’t be a case to find. 

Shit. He doesn’t want Peter’s first article to be a complete and total bust. 

**YOU WANTED TO BE A ROLE MODEL, RIGHT? HERE’S YOUR CHANCE. TELL HIM THAT WE’RE CLEANING UP THE STREET.**

But it’s not that simple. 

“Okay,” Eddie says slowly. “That could definitely be interesting. But before you commit,” He points a pen that he’d been playing with. “Are there any other topics that you’d be interested in? You don’t want to get distracted by things you’d rather be working on,” 

**I’M IMPRESSED. AN ACTUAL PIECE OF ADVICE. MAYBE YOU’LL BE A GOOD TEACHER AFTER ALL.**

Eddie bites his lip. He thinks that’s a compliment. Coming from Venom, it’s practically a glowing review. 

“Well…” Peter hums. “I’d like to know how the LGBT community has been faring in recent years,” He admits. There’s even a bit of red on his cheeks. Jeez, this kid is really over here trying to completely win him over before the week is even through. When did he get so soft? 

**DO YOU MEAN THERE WAS A TIME WHEN YOU WEREN’T?**

There goes that glowing review. 

“Yeah, we can do that,” He says with a smile. “Let’s refine these ideas a little bit. What questions do you want to ask, and what do you want answered?” 

Peter pulls out a notebook from his backpack and starts scribbling things down before they even really start. But the thing is, Eddie likes the back and forth that starts to happen. The knowledge that he’s sharing, stuff that he didn’t really even think about passing on ‘till now, is something he realizes he should’ve been doing a while ago. 

The world needs someone like Peter Parker. 

This becomes clear over lunch. They’re at some burger chain that Peter’s never been to.

“Oh my god,” Peter says with his mouth full. “I didn’t want to say anything but I was getting so hungry,” He takes another big bite. There’s grease on his face. Now, this is more what he was expecting from someone Peter’s age. 

“Maybe,” Eddie says, taking a bite of his own burger. He can already tell he’s going to have to order another one. Venom…  _ they  _ are hungry. They might have to go out tonight as well. If it’s going to be that kind of evening, he’ll have to get some coffee on the way home. “You should’ve said something  _ before  _ you got that hungry,” He shakes his head. 

**AS IF YOU DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU’VE PRACTICALLY STARVED US BOTH.**

Fair enough, he thinks as quietly as possible. 

“Sorry, Mr. Brock-” 

“Uh, it’s Eddie,” 

“Right. Sorry… Eddie. I’m just so grateful that you’re doing this. I didn’t want to overstep or anything,” He wipes off the grease with the back of his hand. “I’m really excited about getting to be here and do this, y’know?” 

Eddie snorts. He likes that sort of passion. Hopes that Peter won’t be losing it anytime soon. “Yeah. Still can’t believe you’ve never eaten here before,” He nudges Peter a little. 

Peter has got his mouth full again. “They don’t have these in on the East Coast,” 

**SO HE’S FROM YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS?**

“Wait, you’re whereabouts are you from?” 

Peter freezes mid bite. Hell, he might need a second burger as well. “Uh, I have that in my resume. Didn’t you read it?” 

In truth? He skimmed it. Eddie didn’t feel like he needed to know anything more about the kid’s credentials to hire him. Who else his age had the guts to approach someone with their work like that? Fuck, Eddie is relearning what it’s like to have some confidence. 

**YOU KNOW IT’S SHIT LIKE THIS THAT GOT YOU FIRED FROM YOUR LAST JOB.**

Eddie doesn’t really have a response to that. He knows that Venom is right, but he doesn’t need to be reminded about mistakes that almost ruined his life. His no response seems to have quieted Venom which is fine by him. 

“I was more interested in your photography,” Eddie says. Which is true. “Wish I had looked over your resume as well though. I used to be live in New York. You from anywhere close?

Peter laughs a little bit, and rubs at the back of his head. “Actually, I’m from, uh… Phil-Philadelphia,” 

“Huh. I was there once. Pretty good for food,” He mentions. Though he really doesn’t know too much about the Pennsylvanian city, he’s willing to hear about where Peter comes from. Would like to know what makes him tick. 

“Yeah. Good cheesesteaks,” Peter mumbles into his burger. 

Eddie frowns. Maybe he doesn’t have good experiences in Philly? 

**MIGHT WANT TO GO OVER THAT RESUME AGAIN, EDDIE.**

While he agrees, there are other things he’d like to get to first. Such as taking Peter out to show him the sights of the city he’ll be staying in during his internship. Why not now?

“Are you sure? I mean, you don’t have to,” Peter says after they’re done eating. “I know you’re really busy writing your next piece, and with you helping me I understand if-” 

“Seriously. Don’t worry about it. Besides, you should know the city you’re writing about. You wanted to be in the field right?” They’re sitting in a Lyft on the way back to Eddie’s place, but that’s no way to see the city. Not when he’s got something way more exciting. And sue him if he wants to impress Peter a little bit. 

**THE MOTORCYCLE IS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.** Venom suddenly points out. Holy shit. That was almost nice. Though he can’t tell if it was an accident or not. Probably. Still, if he’s impressing everyone involved today, he’s not complaining. 

“Absolutely Mr.- I mean, Eddie,” He fidgets in his seat. “I only got here like a few days ago. Didn’t really get to do any sight seeing,” 

Eddie gives Peter a look. “Where are you staying, anyway?” 

“Uhm. With a cousin,” Peter says quickly. That’s so clearly a lie. Eddie is going to have to make sure that Peter is staying somewhere safe. And also figure out if he’s really all alone in the city. Shit. He’s taken on more responsibility that he initially thought. 

“Cool. You’ll have to introduce us,” Eddie says with ease, and watches from the corner of his eye to see if Peter reacts. He only squirms a bit. Not really solid proof of anything. 

When the Lyft pulls over, they both hop out. 

It turns out to be a good thing that Eddie decided they stop back at his place. Peter asks if he can retrieve his camera from upstairs to get a few shots from their upcoming tour. 

Is it weird that he’s already feeling pride in Peter? They barely begun their project. Still… it’s nice to see fire like that in someone so young. It takes Eddie a second to recall what he himself has been like at that age. High school wasn’t great for him. So… he buried himself in books and articles and photography, trying to secure a better future for himself rather than enjoy his youth. 

Shit. He hopes he’s not setting Peter up to do the same. The kid has got to be a kid before… well, before  _ life  _ begins to kick in. 

So, yeah. Maybe their first full day should be spent doing something more productive, but Eddie thinks it’s better that they see the city. Have some fun. 

When Peter comes running back downstairs, he has to look around for a moment before he spots Eddie. “Oh shit,” He walks forward, excitement in every movement. “You have a motorcycle?!” Then, he walks around the vehicle, as if to make sure that it’s really truly there. 

Eddie grins. “This is the only way to see the city. Here-” He hands Peter his spare helmet. By the looks of that hoodie he’s wearing, he should also get him a proper jacket. 

**JUST HOW MUCH TIME ARE YOU PLANNING ON SPENDING WITH THIS KID?**

It’s an interesting question. One that Eddie doesn’t really have an answer to. Honestly, he just feels like he gets along with him. Like… they click. Maybe he’s crazy. 

**YOU’RE NOT CRAZY.** Venom says. Then, after a beat,  **I THINK I FEEL IT TOO.**

Which begs the question: what is it about Peter that makes them feel so comfortable? 

Well. It’s a question for another day. They’ve got shit to do. 

“Hop on.” 

Which Peter does with his own grin. Then, they’re off.

Peter isn’t nervous at all, just excited. He’s looking around, taking in the sights, and having fun. At least, that’s what Eddie is getting from him. Every time they stop, he snaps a picture on his phone. (Thank god he’s not crazy enough to use the camera he’s got tucked away in its case.) 

If he’s being honest, Eddie is enjoying the ride as well. Through Venom, and now Peter, he’s been able to see things through different eyes. Enjoy things he once just kind of let fade into the background. It makes him a better writer as well as a better reporter.  

He even makes it a point to stop in the kinda touristy Castro district. It’s not a spot he hangs out in a lot, or occasionally, but it’s nice to know it’s there. He figures that someone with Peter’s interest would enjoy being here. 

**YOU CARE ABOUT THIS PLACE.**

Though Venom can see everything inside his head, he’s not sure that the alien gets what it’s like being LGBT. Especially since he hasn’t really… explored that part of himself in depth. It’s not that he isn’t okay with it, it’s that he hasn’t really found a label that fits him. It’s that he’s not sure if he’d be okay going public with it. 

Which sucks. He’s fought for LGBT rights. He’d never feel ashamed or embarrassed if one of his friends came out as queer. Why is it so much harder for him? Fuck. 

“This is amazing!” He hears a muffled, but excited voice coming from behind him. Oh yeah, Peter’s here. So he impulsively decides to park. 

“Oh wow, I’ve only seen pictures, but… thanks for stopping!” Peter says after struggling to get the helmet off his head for a minute. His hair is sticking up. 

**HE LOOKS LIKE A DORK.** The tone that Venom says that is almost fond.  **I CAN’T HELP IT. YOUR STUPID FEELINGS ARE MIXING IN WITH OURS.**

“Yeah, okay,” He says with a snort. 

“Huh?” Peter lowers his camera, already having taken a few shots. Thank god he was distracted. The last thing his self esteem needs is a teenager running away screaming. 

Why is it whatever a teenager says hurts so much worse than anyone else in the world? If only they knew the power they held.

“Oh, uh, just thinking out loud,” Eddie replies with a sheepish grin. 

But before he can even finish speaking, Peter is back to looking around, focusing on the world around him. Eddie wonders if he’s not more suited for photography rather than reporting. However, he doesn’t want to scare him off from something he’s still passionate about. His job is to encourage Peter. 

“Do you think we can stay here until it gets dark?” Peter asks him after a bit of walking. “I bet this place has a really different energy at night… maybe we can grab another burger?” 

Eddie considers it. They really should be getting some work done… but since they haven’t started yet he can’t see the harm in it. So he nods. “Sure. Was there anything in particular you wanted to see?” 

Peter hums. “I kinda just want to see everything. I’ve never really traveled before,” 

“Everything it is,” Eddie says with quick nod. 

**WE HAVEN’T BEEN TO THIS PART BEFORE.**

Did Venom want a tour as well? Shit, he didn’t even think about that. 

**WOULD BE NICE TO JUST WALK AROUND SOMETIMES. WE LIKE SEEING THINGS THROUGH YOUR EYES, EDDIE.**

_ We can do that.  _ They can do anything they want. And today has made him realize that he wants to take the time to do shit like this. To do things that make him - make  _ them -  _ happy. 

And they discover that they like walking around at twilight. The sky beginning to turn yellow and pink and orange. To talk about Peter and Eddie’s shared passion for journalism. Peter mentions that he wants people to see the truth. To help people become more compassionate and just see people for who and what they are. 

Eddie wishes he knew how to tell Peter that dreams like that usually remain dreams. People are tricky. They don’t want to see what’s in front of them. Don’t want to admit that they have to change. But how can he say any of that when he’s still trying to get people to see the truth? Maybe working in journalism requires a bit of hope that someone somewhere will give a shit. That the someone somewhere will help make a change. 

Either way, that bit of hope can be painful. 

**NOT IF YOU HAVE THE POWER TO BE THE PERSON TO MAKE THAT CHANGE, DIPSHIT.**

Eddie smiles. If these niceties keep up, he’s going to start to think that Venom is up to something. 

As the sky grows darker, the people around them are somehow more alive. It should be exciting, but Eddie is on alert. Maybe he’s just seen too much shit, but he feels like there’s something  _ off.  _

That’s when he can feel a sort of wave of excitement exude from Venom. Of course, Venom hears it before he does. The sound of jeering. In the air… he thinks he can smell fear. Fuck, he wishes he didn’t know what it smelled like. 

**BAD GUYS, EDDIE.**

Eddie turns to Peter about to make some excuse to disappear when the kid beats him to the punch. “Uh- do you… do you mind if I check out that coffee place? I just need some wi-fi to… to check in with. Uh,” He looks pretty distracted. Must be important. 

**WORKS FOR US. LET’S GO BEFORE DINNER GETS AWAY FROM US.**

“Yeah, I’ll meet you there…” Eddie says distantly. Hopefully he’ll be able to find him after taking care of the situation. But before he has a chance to finish was he was saying, Peter is already gone. Wow. He’s faster than Eddie thought he’d be. 

No excuse not to follow the sounds of distress now. 

There are people walking away quickly from a darker part of the streets. A part of him is angry that no one else is trying to do something about this. He has to remind himself that not everyone has a powerful ally with them at all times. 

**WE CAN HELP THEM, EDDIE.**

“Yeah, that’s the plan….” 

In an alley tucked between a Chinese restaurant and a liquor store (seriously?), there are four dark figures. One is filming on his stupid fucking iPhone while two others are beating up a man who is already on the ground, curled up. They’re shouting slurs and laughing. 

“Incite’s gonna love this,” the one filming says. 

Fire rises from inside them. Fucking  _ assholes.  _

A lot of things happen in quick succession. He becomes  _ they.  _ And they are pissed. 

“ **FUCK OFF,** ” They roar. They whip a tendril forward, and wraps it around the film maker. Then, they throw him towards the cowards who thought they could get away with a hate crime. They all groan. 

The man who was being attacked is still on the ground, but he’s breathing. 

Good.

Venom could finish it now, but he’s not done. They’ve been thoroughly shitty people, so they have to have the shit thoroughly beaten out of them. Then when they’re done, they’ll pick two to eat, and let the other scramble away, telling tales about a monster that monsters fear. 

They prowl forward, licking their lips. 

One of them finally looks up and screams. Venom can’t deny that he likes when they scream. “ **WHY DON’T YOU TAKE A PICTURE?** ” Venom asks. “ **POST THAT TO YOUR SHITTY BLOG. DOCUMENT HOW SHITTY YOUR SHITTY LIFE IS,** ”

Now, two of the men are crying. 

Losers. 

Venom grabs a hold of them all in one long tendril and hoists them into the air. He throws them against one brick wall, then the other. Bits of debris fall behind. The bodies they’re holding are being crushed. Bones have been broken. 

With the wailing still happening, Venom decides it’s time to shut them up permanently. They bring them all in close. 

“ **NOW, WHICH ONE SHOULD I EAT FIRST? I DO HAVE A TASTE FOR PATHETIC BYSTANDERS,** ” In all honesty, Venom doesn’t care or think through which one he’ll devour first. In the end, it doesn’t matter. 

As they open their jaw wide, something wraps around  _ them  _ and forces them back. 

What the fuck is that? 

Venom is stuck to a wall, and the thugs are left to lie limply on the ground. 

“Oh shit,” A young sounding voice says from above him. Venom looks towards the source and sees a… something in a bright red costume. Like some kind of superhero, but tiny. 

Who the fuck is that? 

The young superhero jumps down and makes quick work of wrapping the assailants up in what looks like webbing. Once he’s done with that, the young hero comes closer to Venom. 

“Oh my god,” The hero’s voice wobbles. “You’re like… a full on monster. Like… holy shit, dude,” He peers closer and Venom can’t help but wonder what the fuck they’re still doing up against a wall. Venom begins to force their way forward. The webbing around them begins to stretch and break apart. The hero screams. 

So he’s a loser, too. 

“ **NO OFFENSE KID, BUT THOSE ARE MY ASSHOLES,** ” Venom says with a smirk. “ **NOW WHY DON’T YOU RUN HOME AND LET THE ADULTS TAKE CARE OF THIS?** ”

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” the hero says **.** “You can’t just hurt them!” He stands his ground, and after a moment even points his fingers in Venom’s face. “Otherwise, we’re just as bad as  _ them _ .” 

“ **I THINK THE FUCK NOT** ,” Venom spits. But they have to admit, they’re amused. “ **GUYS LIKE THESE DON’T LEARN UNLESS WE TEACH THEM A LESSON…** ” They take a step forward and intending to finish the job whether the pint sized hero moves out of the way or not. 

“School’s out tonight, big guy!” 

Then there’s webbing in their  _ fucking  _ eyes. 

They try to rip it out so they can handle the thugs and then handle the little punk who stole his dinner. 

But by the time they do, the criminals, along with the skinny hero are gone. Even the poor asshole who got his ass beat has disappeared. The only comfort they have is that Junior has likely taken him to the hospital. 

“ **WHAT THE EVER-LOVING FUCK?** ” 

They want to follow after them, but it’ll only cause a bigger fuss than they are willing to deal with. Thankfully, there is one clue the assholes left behind. They grab it.

Venom slinks away, feeling ashamed and dumb as hell. Once they’re far enough away, they become Eddie and Venom, together but separate. 

“ **WHO THE HELL WAS THE LITTLE SHIT?** ” 

Eddie reaches into his pocket and pulls out the phone the amateur fuckwad filmmaker left behind. 

“We’ll figure that out,” Eddie mumbles. “But more importantly: who the fuck is Incite?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd apologize for not updating sooner but it has been a few Weeks at work and also i am doing this for fun. no apologies. 
> 
> BUT i will say that i am blown AWAY by the response to my first chapter. the comments, the kudos??? they really keep me going. I hope y'all know that this is the kinda shit that really boosts a writer's confidence and desire to continue working.
> 
> so please keep commenting and leaving kudos. you can also check out my blog if you'd prefer to talk there: mageprincecallum


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are set in motion. There's lots of talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My contract at my last job ended: I'm unemployed! Woohoo?
> 
> also really bad reference to a certain fan fav. points to whoever catches it!

“Oh, my God,” Eddie wakes up in the middle of the night with a cold sheen of sweat on his face. “I forgot Peter. I left Peter behind.” He reaches blindly for his phone before Venom takes pity on him and grabs it themself.   


**HE’LL BE FINE. HE SEEMS LIKE A SMART KID.  
**

“There was a literal mugging a few feet away from that coffee shop! And some tiny superhero in red!” Eddie sighs with relief when he sees that he got an email from Peter. He’s fine, got back to his place a little after nine. Still, that was completely and totally irresponsible on his part. What kind of adult is he, leaving a kid in a city that he doesn’t know?

**EDDIE. RELAX. HE’S HOME.  
**

“That doesn’t mean that I didn’t fuck up!” He exclaims. Eddie runs a hand down his face. The last thing he wants is to completely fuck this up and ruin Peter’s first real experience with journalism. What if Peter doesn’t want to come back? What if he already think he’s a total waste of time?   


**STOP. BREATHE.  
**

It takes a moment to bring his thoughts to a halt, but Venom’s words do possess a strangely calming effect. He breathes in slowly through his nose, and out through his mouth.   


**FOCUS ON YOUR BREATH.  
**

Eddie does. He lets his thoughts drift away. Just listening to the sound of his own breathing and the occasional encouragement from Venom.   


**GOOD. NOW, EDDIE? DO WE NEED SOMETHING TO DRINK? DO YOU WANT TO WATCH A VIDEO TO CALM DOWN A LITTLE MORE?  
**

“No, no…” He shakes his head. “I kind of just want to go back to sleep. We’re still supposed to meet up tomorrow. And I don’t want to disappoint him all over again."   


It’s clear that Venom disagrees with how he perceives the situation, but doesn’t say anything. Instead, there’s a gentle pull, lulling him back to sleep. If there’s one thing that Venom has really helped him through, it’s his insomnia. He- they’ve- never slept better in their life. It’s incredibly helpful after a night like this. “Thank you.” He whispers, settling back down into his pillow.   


**DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT. JUST TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.**   
  


* * *

 

The thing about working with someone else is that he has to wake up at a normal, human hour. It means that he has to look presentable, even if he’s going to be sitting in front of a computer the whole day. It also means that he can take his time to savor his completely normal breakfast of a really rare steak. The bad news is: it’s not enough.

**WHEN DOES THIS INTERNSHIP END AGAIN? WE’RE STARVING. AND SOME LITTLE SHIT STOLE OUR DINNER LAST NIGHT.  
**

“I don’t really know. But look. We’ll have the weekend off. And then we’ll find you a nice, juicy bad guy to eat. I won’t even complain that much.” Eddie promises.   


**YOU’LL COMPLAIN. I KNOW WE’RE HUNGRY, EDDIE. YOU GET CRANKY WHEN WE’RE HUNGRY.**

Eddie can’t refute that, but he also doesn’t want to think about what would happen if they get well and truly hungry. He figures that they’d both be well and truly fucked. Drake’s idiot henchmen were one thing. Eddie isn’t sure what else they’d have to face if they pissed off the wrong people.   


Speaking of which…

He grabs a chocolate bar and his laptop and slumps down onto the couch.   


Research is an old frenemy of his. While he loves to sink himself into a mystery, it’s also a huge pain in the ass to do all this reading. He wishes he could explain to people how hard it is to concentrate on things that he actually likes. He wishes he could explain to people how sometimes there’s only one thing in the world he can concentrate on.   


Eddie wonders what kind of concentration his mind will allow him today. He hopes it’s the latter.   


It’s not much of a surprise that his mind turns to the kid with the kid that took them by surprise. Venom, too, is interested. Lucky for him, the kid isn’t that hard to find. He begins to find evidence of a small, web slinging vigilante in conspiracy blogs. While Eddie goes through an obscene amount of pages looking for something legitimate, his partner is quiet. Eerily so.   


Still, he lets Venom stay in the background as he continues his search.   


After two hours of scrolling he’s got: a blurry video on youtube with under 100 views, a conspiracy theory blog that claims they met the human spider, and, his best piece of information, a short blurb in a New York newspaper about a youngster in red helping assist the police in catching two thieves. There is a photo attached. The two alleged thieves sitting back to back with what looks like a thin, white, ropey substance tied around them.   


**THAT’S THE PUNK’S WORK, ISN’T IT?  
**

Eddie nods. “Think so,” He reaches for a small notebook that was sitting on the coffee table in front of him. “With so little information about him, it has me wondering… Is he new to this whole thing, or is he pretty good about being elusive?” He scribbles down his questions, as well as some additional observations he has on the spiderkid.   


**YOU THINK WE’LL SEE HIM AGAIN.  
**

With a sigh, Eddie responds, “With our line of work? Yeah. I think it’s unavoidable.”   


**SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT?  
**

That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? How do he and Venom continue to operate the way that they have without involving some well intentioned hero?   


Eddie can’t tell how long it’s been since he’s started to think about what to do with San Francisco’s tourist before he hears a knock at the door.   


“Mr. Brock! Sorry- shoot,” There’s a breath. “Eddie!”   


Eddie checks the time. Oh. Oh, shit, he really did lose track of time. Well. The intern will be able to take his mind off of things for a bit. Eddie can do something good on a smaller scale. He gets up from the sofa and strides towards the door. “‘M coming.” He replies.   


When he opens the door, he’s surprised to see Peter nearly shaking with excitement.   


**YOU SEE? I TOLD YOU HE’D BE FINE.  
**

Shit. Eddie forgot about  _ forgetting  _ him. Thank god he never had any kids. “Hey man.” He stands aside so that Peter can enter.   


Peter goes directly to the table, and places his backpack on the chair. He starts digging out his laptop. The thing looks more like a brick than something from this decade. Eddie is sure he’s got something newer lying around in his closet. Unless he pawned it during his 6 month stint of unemployment? Hm.   


“I figured out what I want my project to be on, Eddie,” Peter says with a grin. “Oh, um… do you mind if I get your Wi-Fi password? I forgot to ask yesterday and I already have some writing done that I’d like to show you. Plus some research, but nothing too concrete yet…”   


“Yeah, of course,” Eddie goes to kitchen. He’s got the password written down on one of his yellow legal pads. “What were you thinking?”   


“Well, last night, I heard all those people screaming,” Peter begins. It makes Eddie cringe. He’s really hoping that the screaming was because of the thugs, not because of Venom. “And I was asking around. It turns out, there’s been some weird cryptid running around San Francisco. Can you believe it?”   


Eddie feels himself pale. He sure hopes he’s wrong about where this is going.   


**PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT US, EDDIE. WE’RE FINALLY GETTING SOME RECOGNITION AROUND HERE!  
**

“What kinda cryptid we talkin’ here?” He asks, handing over the information to Peter. Part of him wants to laugh when he sees Peter balk at the string of numbers and letters that is his password. Eddie never bothered to change it, but now that Peter’s here, it might be time.   


While Peter punches in the password, he grins up at Eddie. “Apparently, there’s this monster that showed up a few months ago. But the thing is, people can’t tell whether it’s a good guy, bad guy, or even  _ human. _ ”   


And there it is. Some grainy looking picture of them. Of course, it’s about as good looking as a picture of Bigfoot, but it’s enough to start keying Eddie up.   


**WE’RE NOT A MONSTER. WE’RE THE GOOD GUY. TELL HIM, EDDIE!  
**

Obviously, he’s not about to blow his cover to a teenager just because Venom has their ego wounded (not that Eddie’s own is unaffected), but he’s got to say something. He also has to be careful not to deter Peter from following his passion because that would be bad mentorship. “So, what’s your angle?”   


Peter grins. “I want to answer the question people are asking. Is the San Francisco Cryptid friend or foe?”   


**TELL HIM WE’RE SAN FRANCISCO’S FRIEND. OR RULER. ACTUALLY, YEAH, RULER SOUNDS COOLER.**

_ That is not something that would comfort the public. Thanks though.  _ “How do you go about getting that information?” Eddie asks. Both for safety… and also curious how Peter has planned on setting up his story.   


“Well, I thought I’d put up an ad or something online? See if anyone has come into contact with it, or seen it in action?” Peter smiles. “There’s got to be someone. And if there isn’t now, there will be. I’m sure of it.”

Not a bad plan. Though Eddie isn’t too keen to find out what the general population thinks about them. Shit. He knew that the consequences were going to come around sooner rather than later. Just not  _ this  _ soon.   


**IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THEY THINK OF US. WE ARE PERFECT!  
**

Eddie still doesn’t know what to say when Venom says things like that, wonders if there really is any sort of response. He needs to sort out his own feelings a bit more before they talk about this.   


“Right. That’s a good idea. Just keep in mind that you’re going to have to go through a lot of people who claimed they saw this uh, cryptid. Finding a legitimate source might take some time,” Eddie says. When Peter’s face falls a little, he backtracks. “Don’t worry about it though. Like you said, there’s gotta be someone out there.”   


Peter grins. “Great! Okay. So I’ll set up an ad on Stanslist, and hopefully I can interview some people by tomorrow?” He starts typing away, ever the enthusiast.   


“Yeah, I’m coming with you on these interviews,” Eddie chimes in. “Not that I don’t trust you, ‘cause I do, but there are a lot of weirdos out there." This is going to be quite the rabbit hole. He can't even begin to imagine the theories that people have made up about them. Hell, he's probably going to have to hear Peter come up with some not-so-nice ones. It's not that he's unused to public backlash. Now, though, this is not a truth he's uncovering, but who he is as a person.   


**ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER EXISTENTIAL CRISES?**   


Did he ever stop having an existential crisis?

"I appreciate it Mr.- uh, Eddie, but you don't have to worry about me." Peter says with a reassuring smile.   


Jesus, Eddie really has forgotten what it's like being so young and full of hope.   


"It's part of the internship that I'm with you every step of the way. That way I can help you ask the most relevant questions possible," He bullshits. Though it would actually be helpful to Peter if he did help him learn how to question people. Yeah. Yeah, he's totally justified. "Not only that, but there will be people who  _ won't _ want to answer questions. I got some tips for that, too."   


**THAT'S THE INTIMIDATION TACTIC. COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT ME.  
**

_ I've been doing this job long before you came around. _ Eddie argues.   


Peter perks up at the idea. “Actually… I was wondering how you did that. People never seem to want to answer my questions,” He sighs and laughs a bit nervously. “And uh, I’ve never been good at convincing people that they should.”

**I WONDER WHY.  
**

Eddie grins. “Well, that’s what I’m here for, right?” He claps his hands together and leans forward. “Now let’s post an ad. I’ll write this one, but I want you to be able to write something for a little later next week, so don’t be afraid to take notes...”   


Peter leans in, and the weirdest investigation Eddie’s ever taken on begins.   


* * *

  
By the time Peter leaves, they have a plan of attack for tomorrow. There are plenty of people who want to talk about the-  _ ugh _ \- cryptid. Eddie was able to point out the obviously bad responses, the ones that are most likely full of shit, and the responses with a 50/50 shot of having something worth a damn.   


Eddie promised Peter that they were going to talk to all sorts of people tomorrow, just so he can get an idea of what’s a good source, and what’s better left to the National Inquirer.   


Peter was taking notes all damn day. Even through lunch, he was asking all sorts of questions on how to  _ ask  _ questions.   


And then towards the end of the day, Peter was sprinkling in some questions about Venom.   


Suddenly, Eddie was the cagey source with that last juicy bit of information. He’s really put himself in a dumb position.   


But besides all of that, he had a really good time. Peter showing up out of the blue like this has even inspired him to further refine his craft. Who knows? He might even learn a thing or two from Peter.   


Of course, there are still other things that need to be taken care of first.   


Venom stands them up and marches them right to the fridge.   


**YOU NEED SOMETHING TO DRINK. NOW.  
**

“Bossy,” Eddie says with a smile. Truth is, he would love to have a beer. Two, even. But the real problem is, they’re both hungry. Borderline ravenous. They have to go out tonight. And with the New York cryptid running around on vacation, who knows how difficult that might be?   


Can’t be incapacitated in any way.   


Water it is.   


**WHY DON’T WE JUST EAT HIM? IT’D SAVE US A LOT OF TROUBLE.  
**

“Because he’s a kid,” Eddie says. “One of those young do-gooders trying to save the world. Is it a pain in the ass?” He shrugs. “Yes. Am I going to be the one to wake him up to the horrors of reality? The complex clusterfuck that is the morality of dealing with bad guys?” A beer wouldn’t cut it, actually. One of those cutesy fruity drinks he’d like to make Anne order, then drink for himself. “Hell no. The next generation is supposed to be better than us, anyhow.”   


**WE CAN’T HAVE HIM GETTING IN OUR WAY, EDDIE.  
**

“Yeah. I know.” He sighs. “But we’re not hurting him, okay? I’ll…  _ We’ll  _ figure something out,” Probably.   


Hopefully.   


Eddie downs the rest of the water and walks towards the window. They’ve been needing a night out, just the two of them for a while.   


“Let’s not think about interns or mouthy teenaged vigilantes, alright?” He opens the window and already feels a slow shift into  _ them _ . “Let’s do what we do best.”   


Venom leaps out into the night, eager for the hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for being patient!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation begins! More questions arise for Peter and Eddie alike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been.... less than a month. i consider this a victory 
> 
> trigger warning and content warning: so the bad guy is kind of based on current event bad guys and in turn the people who are hurt are queer coded. nothing will be explicit (or if for some reason i add a scene with something explicit i will add a warning) i myself am queer. um kind of spoiler alert for this story but no queer person will die. if you want to stop reading i completely understand. just be forewarned.

When they return home, miraculously satisfied, Eddie crashes onto the bed. He just intended to find a snack. Something to satisfy them until they really had to go out the next time. With Peter, it’s hard to decipher when they’re going to have time at all.   


However, they ran into three different fights all in the same district. It shouldn’t be that big of a surprise in a city this big, but there’s something off about them all.   


When they, as Venom, approached them, all they sensed was anger. The need to fight. Almost as if Venom themselves were on ones being hunted. Not only that, but all these fights were concentrated all in the same area.   


He’s going to have to do some research tonight, see if there’s a reason there’s a spike in hate crimes.   


It could also be that he was just hovering around there, same as usual. Hopefully no one has been paying too close attention to Venom’s hunting patterns.   


That’s a problem for tomorrow, he decides. Now, though. Now is sleep.

**WE STILL HAVE TO BRUSH OUR TEETH, EDDIE.  
**

“Mmph,” He replies, his face buried in a pillow. Do they really have to? Productivity is overrated. They’ve had a hellishly long day.

Though, nothing bad really happened in that time. Despite the fighting, they’re well fed, Eddie has a clearer idea on what to do with Peter 's internship,  _ and  _ they didn’t run into the superkid.   


He still hasn’t decided what to do about… all of that.   


**MAYBE HE WAS JUST ON VACATION. YOU DID SAY HE WAS FROM NEW YORK.**

Eddie turns his head to the side. “Yeah, I dunno if you’ve noticed, but we have never, ever been that lucky.” He pushes himself upwards. If he doesn’t get ready for bed now, he’ll just fall asleep looking like hell. He can’t look like hell when trying to find answers.   


**HASN’T STOPPED YOU BEFORE.  
**

“Shuddup,” Eddie walks towards the bathroom. He’s already got questions in his head he wants to pass off to Peter for the witnesses tomorrow. Depending on their answers, he can fine tune his hunting and… crime fighting. The last thing he wants is for people to figure out who he is.   


**THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, EDDIE. THE PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET ARE SHOCKINGLY STUPID.  
**

“And yet, I don’t feel any less anxious about it,” He admits. “Aliens are still mostly a secret here. I’m sure the government or whatever knows something about  _ something _ , but the general population doesn’t. And if they catch us,” He lets out a sigh. “Who knows what they’ll do to us? Drake was a fuckin’ nutjob, but he’s not the only one who’d want to dissect and experiment on us.”   


**WE’LL PROTECT US. WE’RE A TEAM. THE GOOD GUYS.**

Eddie smiles. Yeah. He’s starting to think that they can do this, too. His life, no matter how complicated it’s become, has taken a turn for the better. Venom has helped him not only make a difference for others, but for himself.   


They are the good guys.   


The only thing left to do is to keep moving forward. To protect the people of San Francisco. 

And, if they’re lucky, the people will be grateful.   


Eddie washes up in the bathroom, and heads back to bed.   


He strips, and flops down on the soft mattress.   


**WE HAVE TO DO THE LAUNDRY SOON.  
**

He snorts. “Yeah, I know buddy. We have a lot of shit to figure out.” Eddie grabs the notebook that lives on his nightstand. He jots down laundry on his list of things to do.   


Eddie taps the pen against his bottom lip. Then he adds  _ look up Peter Parker.   
_

**WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HIM?  
**

“Look, the kid has been keeping secrets. I like him a lot, but we don’t really  _ know  _ him,” He frowns and stares at his updated to-do list. “If he’s lying, I want to know why. Maybe he’s in trouble, or something.”   


**THEN WE WILL PROTECT HIM.  
**

He smiles, glad that Venom is on the same page. Truth is, he would have protected him regardless of Venom's feelings. He's never been able to stop himself from meddling. But now he has a partner to help him through all the injustices of the world.   


**OF COURSE, EDDIE. WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE TO HELP YOU. TO PROTECT YOU.**

And if Venom is protecting him while they’re protecting everyone else, what could possibly go wrong?   


* * *

  


Eddie actually wakes up at a reasonable hour the next day. (10 am.) He’s actually kind of excited. It’s been a hot minute since he’s been out in the field like this, and he didn’t realize how much he missed it. He wonders if Peter is feeling the jitters as well.   


**HE’S AS BIG OF A NERD AS YOU ARE, SO, PROBABLY.  
**

“Yeah, I’m callin’ bullshit,” Eddie sits down on the sofa in the living room and pulls out his phone. “I know you’re just as into hearing stories about yourself. Hearing from you loyal subjects.”   


**I LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT. ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T WANT TO RULE THE PLANET? WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN.  
**

_ hey, it’s eddie. where are you staying? i can come pick you up if you want.   
_

If it’s on the way, it’ll save them some time. Plus, they can get breakfast.   


**AT MCDONALDS? I LOVE PANCAKES. LET’S GET MCDONALDS PANCAKES.  
**

“Today is Peter’s day. We’ll let him decide on breakfast.” Though pancakes do sound really good right about now. It’s a miracle he hasn’t died from all the garbage he’s been eating lately.   


**ARE YOU CALLING ME A MIRACLE?  
**

“I’m ignoring that.” Eddie replies. He looks down at his phone. Peter’s typing in some sort of response. It takes way longer than he thought it would to get a reply.   


_ Don’t worry about it! I can meet you there! :)   
_

Okay. Eddie figured he’d appreciate a ride, but if he’s close enough to the site that it wouldn’t matter… Or maybe he was creepy about it? Just because he likes Peter already, doesn’t mean he can just hang out. There’s got to be some boundaries. God forbid an article come out about him being a total creep.   


Well, a different article about him being a total creep.

“Pancakes it is.” Eddie grabs his backpack and a chocolate bar, then hits the road. As they make their way towards subpar pancakes, he starts thinking about the sort of questions he would be asking if he was in Peter’s position. He’s almost able to entirely divorce himself from the situation. What would an outsider want to know about Venom? What would a potential witness want to divulge? What would keep a witness from saying anything?   


From Eddie’s point of view, he knows that there isn’t anyone threatening people on Venom's behalf. No secret government, no Carlton Drake's using hush money, or some private security breathing down people's necks. So it'd only be people's imaginations of these sorts of scenarios holding them back. Wouldn't be the first time he's run into people afraid that the government would track them down.  


It’s too bad he knows that they have to stay a secret. That could make an incredibly interesting angle for Peter’s article. The best he can do is continue to come up with some mock questions and point him in a general direction. While at McDonalds, he writes a few of them down. Just a few example questions, just in case Peter needs them.   


**HOW, EXACTLY, ARE WE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT PETER GETS HIS ARTICLE AND DOESN’T EXPOSE US?  
**

“That is a good question,” Eddie replies. He adds another example to his list. Then, he takes another huge bite from his pancake. “To be honest, I don’t really expect any real answers today. It’s day one. These things can take weeks, months, or even years. So, if all we’re getting is public speculation during his internship, we can work with that and make sure our  _ friend  _ doesn’t suddenly get famous.”   


People around the fast food joint are casting him strange looks. It’s alarming that he’s already grown used to those sorts of stares.   


**SOLID WORK, EDDIE. A REAL FOOL PROOF PLAN.  
**

“Fuck you too.” He sings under his breath. With a quick glance at his watch, he realizes that he’s already kinda sorta late, making the fact that he woke up early a moot point. Eddie shoves the rest of the pancakes in his mouth, uncaring that he looks like an animal, and speedwalks out the door. 

* * *

  
“Eddie, hey!” Peter says with a little jump and a wave.   


“Hey, Peter.” He smiles, and walks up to him. Peter has got a small notebook in his hand, a pen in the other, and a camera looped around his neck. He’s also got a backpack filled with who knows what.   


**MY GOD, EDDIE, HE IS SUCH AN OVEREAGER NERD. DO YOU NOT SEE THIS, OR IS IT HARD TO RECOGNIZE ONE OF YOUR OWN KIND?**

Venom sure does love saying shit when Eddie can’t reply. He wishes he could do something to shut them the fuck up. Would pinching himself count? Or would he just be annoying himself further?   


“You ready to get started?” He asks.   


“Um,  _ yeah _ !” Peter replies nodding rapidly. “Look, I even wrote down a bunch of questions. Do you mind checking them out before we start?” He begins rifling through his bag to pull out a slightly beat up notebook. It smells a bit like coffee.

Eddie grins and takes the notebook. “Yeah, ‘course.” He’s surprised by how thoughtful some of the questions are. There are a few questions that could be fixed up, and they could be asked in a more focused order. “So you have a couple of ways you can approach this. You can ask the hard hitting questions right away, which could catch a person off balance. Sometimes they answer ‘cause they’re surprised. Sometimes you’ll be banned and have a think piece written about you.”

Peter cringes.   


“Yeah, that’s never fun,” Eddie says with a wry laugh. “So you can also start broadly, get ‘em comfortable, then narrow it down, narrow it down, until you got what you want. It really depends on the type of person, the article you’re writing, and the kinda reporter you wanna be. Know what I mean?”   


Peter starts to smile again. “I think that sounds best. Since we’re just talkin’ to people right now. I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable. Like ever, if I can help it.”   


Eddie takes a pen out of his pocket and pulls Peter closer to his side so he can show him how to improve. Turns out, he’s not even going to need the list of questions he has for himself. “Okay, you ready?”

“Yeah. Yeah, totally.” Peter shuffles on his feet. He’s looking at the apartment building like it might eat him alive.   


“Remember. He’s just a person. And I’m gonna be there the whole time.” He claps a hand on Peter’s shoulder. Huh. Kid’s got some muscle to him. Who woulda thought?   


**MAYBE YOU’RE JUST USED TO BEING PATHETIC.  
**

Right. As if Eddie never didn’t work out before Venom showed up. Again, low hanging fruit.   


Anyway.   


“C’mon.” Eddie gestures to the door and takes a single step forward.   


Peter nods and blows out a breath. “Yeah. Let’s do this.” He follows after Eddie, looking minutely less nervous. Small victories. 

* * *

  
The thing is, Peter is doing a great job. He’s been asking the right questions, he listens intently to each person they interview, he’s been gaining confidence, and, to top it all off, he’s been dutifully taking notes. Eddie couldn’t ask for a better intern. 

Unfortunately, the only people who seem to have something to say about San Francisco’s Demon (cryptid seems to be a Peter thing) are those who have only heard rumors. Eddie isn’t sure if any of them have even  _ seen  _ Venom. While it’s a great thing for him, it’s a shitty start to Peter’s article.   


As they approach their last interview for the day. After the last four, Peter is starting to look pretty let down.

It might be time for a pep talk.   


**OH, I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THIS.  
**

Neither can he.   


Eddie stops in a local convenience store. “Want anything?” He asks.   


“No, that’s okay.” Peter’s voice is far away. He isn’t even looking at any of the food. This is definitely worse than he thought. Hopefully he’s a little more emotionally mature than he was a year or two ago. Anne always liked to point out that he needed to grow up a little bit. Now that he’s the literal grown up here, he needs to be careful.   


“Hey, listen,” Eddie hasn’t even gotten their snacks yet. “This is only the first day. It’s completely normal not to get any clues or leads right away. And with something like this? It could take a while. That’s got nothing to do with your abilities.”   


Peter doesn’t look away from the store’s windows. “I know, it just…” He shrugs. “I was hoping for something.”

Eddie smiles. “Peter, you're getting more than just information here . You're  _learning._ You’re improving every time you ask a question. People are taking you seriously. You’re not as nervous as you were in the beginning of the day. That’s something. More than something.”   


Finally, the kid looks up at him. “Really?”   


“Yeah, man. Do you know how long it took me to even learn how to be around people? I used to get so frustrated. Think I got into a few fights back in the day.” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.   


**WAIT, WHY HAVEN’T WE BEEN DOING THAT? I BET WE’D GET WAY MORE ANSWERS THAT WAY.  
**

“ _ You _ got into fights? But… I mean, you Eddie Brock! Well, I mean... I know you got into a fight with Mr. Drake a couple of months ago. Oh, and I remember that time you talked to that other CEO and then you ended the interview by-”   


“Okay! Alright, enough of that!!” Eddie doesn’t need to be reminded that he used to let his passion for justice get in the way for his passion for journalism. “So yeah. You’ve totally got this. Now, let’s get something to eat, and then you can nail this next interview as well.”   


And that’s when he gets a smile. Thank god. Eddie responds with a smile of his own. Then, Peter finally picks up a few snacks for himself. Eddie is able to rip the snacks out of his hands and pay for it himself despite Peter’s constant worrying about paying for it himself.   


He still really needs to figure out how to pay Peter. And how much. His research list is getting pretty long.   


After they ate faster than humanly possible, the two of them ventured towards their last interview site. 

* * *

Peter goes through his notes as he climbed the stairs. Once they reach the door, Peter is taking another quick breath. Something in the air feels off. There’s a buzzing, like a threat. It feels familiar. 

He looks at Peter, who also looks antsy. 

Eddie shakes his head. Of course he’s nervous, he’s just had a rough first day out in the field. Now he’s got Eddie feeling paranoid. Besides, they’re both safe. They’ve got Venom. If this next person turns out to be a nutcase, Venom can protect them both. 

**ALWAYS, EDDIE.**

Peter knocks on the door. 

“Hi, we’re here for the interview! I mean, it’s Peter Parker and Eddie Brock! You know Eddie Brock, right? He used to be famous but now he’s a journalist which people don’t pay as much attention-”

The door swings open. 

“Hey, I’m Trent.” Trent is a lanky guy with pale skin. He’s got a baseball cap on, and loose fitting clothes. Maybe mid twenties? Nothing dangerous looking about him. “C’mon in. I got so much to tell you.” 

Peter smiles politely and walks in with Eddie following behind him. 

The apartment is relatively clean, though there are a few empty cups of ramen noodles left on the table. Eddie’s been there before. He can also hear a video game on pause in the living room. Trent leads them to his room where he’s got his laptop set up on a small desk. 

“So how long have you been living in San Francisco?” Peter asks, starting from the top. Eddie grins. 

“My whole life,” Trent replies. He sits in his office chair. “But here’s the thing right? This isn't the way San Francisco used to be. Like I want my normal San Francisco back. I want it to be the way it was before.” He types something into the address bar. “D’you know how many weirdos there are around here now?”

Peter is scribbling furiously in his small, spiral bound notebook. 

“No. What do you mean?” He asks. His voice is neutral, but Eddie can tell that he’s tensing up. If this is heading down the path that he thinks it is, this is one of the hardest parts of the job. Dealing with douchebags. 

“Like. Y’know. People who try too hard to be different. People who aren’t willing to work hard enough to be here. The kinds of people who parade around a certain lifestyle as if it’s normal and okay.  _ Those  _ kinds of people.” Then, Trent turns the computer towards Peter and Eddie. 

 A red and white website is on the screen, the word INCITE in big bold letters.  


Of all the places he thought that name would turn up, he didn’t think it’d be here.   


“Sorry, I don’t think I understand what this has to do with the San Francisco Cryptid.” Peter says. He’s looking outwardly uncomfortable now.   


**EDDIE, SOMETHING IS WRONG.  
**

“I’m getting to that thing. So, I’ve been following this guy here. He knows all about how it all really works, y’know? He tells it like it is.” Trent then clicks on one of the videos listed on Incite’s page.   


A person wearing a white and red hood pulled over their face begins to talk in a distorted voice. “ _ The Demon of San Francisco has been attacking good citizens in the street. Watch here as it tears apart those just trying to live their lives. _ ” The clip then cuts to Venom beating people senseless.   


It’s in the Gayborhood. Eddie doesn’t remember the exact night this is from, but he knows that they would never attack anyone who didn’t deserve it. Who was even taking this video? He’s usually better at making sure that no one sees them. It’s pissing him off that someone is misconstruing what they were trying to do. How dare they? Is this where all the attacks have been coming from lately?  


The clip comes back to the darkly lit close up of Incite. “ _ This Demon is attacking honest people. You have to wonder why all the attacks seem to be coming from the same place. Would anyone else be pointing this out to you? Of course not. No one wants you to know the truth. Not like I do.”    
_

There’s a buzzing under his skin. Like he needs to do something. Attack something. It’s foreign, unlike anything he’s felt with Venom. In his head, he can hear Venom’s unrest. The irritation, the need to pounce. Eddie digs his nails into his arm, trying to will the feeling away.   


“ _ I’ve given you the gift of information. I will always give you this gift. More… insight… into this demon. What you do with this gift is up to you. You can shape the future, my worthy listeners. You ca-” _

There’s a hand on the space bar. Peter’s.   


“I think we’ve seen enough.” He says firmly.   


Eddie lets out a breath. What the hell was going on with that? He’s seen plenty of garbage on the internet before. Sure, he’s gotten worked up, but never anything like that. And (usually) not so quick.   


“So, do you think that the cryp- uh, Demon, is working for… a certain group of people in San Francisco?” Peter asks. He’s looking at his notebook again. The speed at which he’s writing is kind of impressive. What sort of information did Peter get from that video?   


And did he feel something as well when Incite’s video was playing?   


“Yeah, you saw for yourself! Always in the same neighborhood.  _ And  _ I heard that that  _ thing  _ is eating people. I don’t know what their plan is, but I know it’s up to us to stop it. And stop them.” Trent says. He cracks his knuckles and then turns back to his computer. “That’s not the only video, either. Incite has written a bunch of blog posts and has even started keeping a map of where the demon has been before.”   


“What would you say to the Demon if you could?”   


“I’d say watch your back. We’re not going to tolerate you and your kind much longer.”

* * *

  
“Wow, I can’t believe there’s footage of the Cryptid online!” Peter says outside the apartment building. The interview didn’t last too much longer, but Eddie has taught Peter to be polite and do the small talk thing even if it’s kind of painful.   


He wishes that Peter didn't take his advice so seriously that last time.   


“Yeah, me neither.” Eddie has looked everywhere for footage of themselves. For evidence that someone in San Francisco has seen them. He knew that it was going to happen eventually, but he didn’t think that it’d be like that. All he wanted was to protect people from the bad guys.   


Somehow, by doing that, he’s made them even more of a target. Like they’re the ones who made the first move. He wants to kick himself.   


**EDDIE, DON’T BLAME YOURSELF. YOU WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING. INCITE IS A BAD GUY. WE WILL DESTROY INCITE AND THE VIOLENCE THEY INSPIRE.  
**

Easier said than done. Eddie is a little rusty on finding people who don't want to be found. And he has to be able to find Incite to stop them. Once he gets there, how is he supposed to fight them? That little trick they did through the video… is that something they can do in real life?   


Why is it that they could affect him at all? How could Incite do that through Venom?

“Soooo…” Peter keeps walking alongside Eddie. “I was thinking that was a pretty good lead. Now that we know that there’s video evidence, we know for sure that other people have seen the Cryptid. We gotta find those other people! Oh, but I kinda hope to find people who, y’know, have different opinions on the Cryptid? If there are other opinions. I mean, it’s kind of hard to move past the  _ eating  _ people thing, don’t you think?”   


Oh boy, yeah, it’s going to take a while to sift through all the possibilities. And also organize the way Peter is thinking. There’s definitely an interesting article brewing here. There’s one positive out of that whole thing.   


“I plead the fifth.” Eddie says with a grin. Hopefully he appears neutral about this whole thing.   


**EDDIE, TELL HIM THAT YOU’RE A GOOD GUY! TELL HIM THAT YOU’RE DOING THE RIGHT THING!**

“Also, Eddie, I was wondering if you’d help me find Incite? Like, I bet they have more information. Even if it’s totally biased, I think it’d be good to get some sort of statement from them.” Peter tucks his notebook in his pocket and looks up at Eddie with these big, bright puppy dog eyes.   


“Whoa, I don’t know about that. That Incite character sounds like a real prick.” Whoops. Looks like neutral isn’t working out too well at the moment. “Can we hold off on them until we have some more information?”   


Peter pouts.   


“Yeah, I know, I know. But look, it looks like the only thing they’re interested in is scaring people with conspiracies. Last thing I want is for Incite to turn that power, that… wrath towards you. Know what I mean?” He crosses his arms.   


Peter's pout intensifies.   


“More information first. Got it?”   


“Fine, more information.” He grumbles. “I wanna type up these notes ‘fore I go to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow?”   


“Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow, Pete.” Eddie watches him turn down the street. He wonders how far he needs to walk from here. It’s too bad he didn't let Eddie give him a ride this morning. Eddie would have offered now, but he doesn't want to make Peter feel uncomfortable, or feel like he has to tell him where he lives.    


In the meantime, he’s got a few things to think.   


Things about Incite. Things about Peter.   


Mostly, he’s looking forward to some more tater tots.    


**Author's Note:**

> leave some kudos, comments, questions and concerns! 
> 
> follow me at mageprincecallum on tumblr for information/reblogs/and maybe possibly some snippets of future chapters. thank you!
> 
> <3


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